232 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



fusion, unless the sand or mineral had been previously ])u!verized 

 and mixed wilh the carbonates. Hence the operation should com- 

 mence with the mixture of the carbonates and the mineral. In this 

 manner considerable quantities of felspar maybe readily decomposed 

 by the heat of a spirit-of-wine lamp. — Annalen derPhysik,l828. Royal 

 Institution Journal. 



EXAMINATION OF SOME MINERALS. BY M. VICTOR HARTWALL. 

 Fergusonite. — This mineral, named in honour of Robert Ferguson, 

 Esq. of Raith, occurs near to Kikertauvak, not far from Cape Fare- 

 well, in Old Greenland. On account of its near resemblance to 

 Ytestantalite, it was referred to that species, until Haidinger, by a 

 careful survey of its crystals, proved it to be a new species. Being 

 analysed, it aft'orded the following constituent parts: 



Colombia acid 47*75 



Yttria 41-91 



Oxide of cerium 4*68 



Zirconia 3 02 



Oxide of tin J'OO 



uranium 0*95 



iron • 0-34 



99-65 

 Manganesian Epidote or Pistacite. — The mineral found at St. 

 Marcet, in Piedmont, and known to mineralogists under the name of 

 Manganesian Epidote, was referred to the epidote genuSj on account 

 of its series of crystallizations. 



This mineralogical determination it was desirable to have confirmed 

 by chemical analysis ; and further, chemists were curious to know the 

 particular state of oxidation of the manganese and iron which it con- 

 tains. The following is the analysis of M. Hartwall : 



Silica 38-47 



Alumina 1 7"65 



Lime 21-65 



Peroxide of manganese 14-08 



•- iron 660 



Magnesia 1'82 



JOO-27 

 M. Hartwall infers by the calculation of the result of the analysis, 

 that the manganese and iron occur in the mineral in the state of 

 peroxide. This is proved^ not only by the diminished quantity of the 

 isomorphous alumina along with them, but also by the reddish-brown 

 colour of the mineral. 



Pyrophillite, a new; mineral, by M. R. Hermann of Moscow. — 

 This mineral occurs in the Uralian Mountains, and is known to 

 mineralogists under the name of Radiated Talc. But its relations 

 before the blowpipe are different from those of indurated talc. 

 Heated before the blowpipe, without any re-agent, it divides in a 

 fan shaped manner into a swollen mass, which occupies twenty times 



the 



